Who is Min Jae Kim? Napoli’s “monster” defender being courted by Bayern Munich

Worth 60 million after Italy update

SSC Napoli undoubtedly made history this year, capturing the hearts of football fans beyond the borders of Italy. Coach Luciano Spalletti and his team clinched their first Serie A title in over 30 years, finishing the season with an impressive 16-point lead over second-placed Lazio Roma. Much of the success can be attributed to Napoli’s squad having a number of star players.

What Makes Min-jae Kim Impressive?

A lynchpin in Napoli’s defence, Kim has made his mark in Italian football thanks to his remarkable physical traits and ability to put opposing strikers under pressure. “They call him ‘the monster’ because he’s a physically imposing centre-back known for his rough and tough style of play,” explained Jatin Dietl, Transfermarkt’s area manager for Italy. “But he combines this characteristic with his tendency to advance with the ball and a good technique (for a defender).” In the last market value update, he was rewarded with an increase of 10 million to 60 million euros, making him the Top 10 most valuable central defenders in the world counts.

At 1.90m, Kim may not be the greatest defensive specialist in Serie A, but he more than makes up for that with his game intelligence. The 26-year-old is also not among the top 25 professionals in the league when it comes to the number of aerial duels attempted, but is in the top 15 in terms of the percentage of tackles won in this category. This, coupled with the fact that he’s also ranked in the top 10 for interceptions and blocks, underscores that he’s usually in the right place at the right time. “Kim has the qualities of a modern defender, attacks very high and tries to anticipate the ball,” emphasizes Dietl. “If I had to choose just one adjective to describe him, I would say: reliable.”

What makes Kim’s achievements even more impressive is the fact that the title campaign was his first in Italian football. Not only did the South Korea international find his feet in Serie A, he quickly overtook some of the more established defenders in a league once known for developing footballers in that position. “His quick impact was very, very impressive,” says Dietl. “I can’t remember any other player in the past becoming the league’s top centre-back in their very first season. Even big names like de Ligt have struggled to adapt.”

Could Kim leave SSC Napoli this summer?

Kim’s remarkable adaptability will be welcome news for some of Europe’s biggest clubs, who wasted no time in expressing their interest in the right footer. There have been repeated reports in Italy this year that he could join Manchester United. “sports1“, “sky“ as well as transfer expert Fabrizio Romano However, recently hinted that Bayern Munich may be hoping to forestall the English in signing Kim, whose deal at Napoli runs until 2025.

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	M Kim
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SSC Naples 65% Bayern Munich Series A Bundesliga

“I don’t think Napoli would sell Kim under normal circumstances, they are in good financial shape and the South Korean is a key building block,” says Dietl. “But unfortunately, for Napoli, according to various media reports, there seems to be a release clause in his contract. The reports differ on the amount, but it should be around 60 million euros. A sum that would not normally shake Napoli.” Whether the release clause actually exists and whether it would be enough to persuade Kim to leave Napoli remains to be seen, but fans of the club can at least hope that the centre-back will play in next season to defend the Serie A title. If not, it seems almost certain that he would be as comfortable in Germany or England as he was in Italy.

Osimhen 30 million ahead of Leão: Serie A Most Valuable Players

32 Pierre Kalulu | Milan | Market value: €30 million

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-€5m
Updated in June 2023

32 Paulo Dybala | Roma | Market value: €30 million

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32 Teun Koopmeiners | Atalanta | Market value: €30 million

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32 Adamola Lookman | Atalanta | Market value: €30 million

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32 Manuel Locatelli | Juventus | Market value: €30 million

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32 Roger Ibanez | Roma | Market value: €30 million

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32 Nicolás González | Fiorentina | Market value: €30 million

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+€2m

32 Sofian Amrabat | Fiorentina | Market value: €30 million

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+€5m

32 Mattia Zaccagni | Lazio | Market value: €30 million

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+€5m

26 Piotr Zielinski | Naples | Market value: €35 million

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-€5m

26 Lorenzo Pellegrini | Roma | Market value: €35 million

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26 Giacomo Raspadori | Naples | Market value: €35 million

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26 Federico Dimarco | Inter | Market value: €35 million

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+€10m

26 Nicolò Fagioli | Juventus | Market value: €35 million

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+€15m

26 André Onana | Inter | Market value: €35 million

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+€15m

15 Federico Chiesa | Juventus | Market value: €40 million

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-€10m

15 Fikayo Tomori | Milan | Market value: €40 million

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-€5m

15 Tammy Abraham | Roma | Market value: €40 million

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-€5m

15 Romelu Lukaku | Inter | Market value: €40 million

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15 Frank Anguissa | Naples | Market value: €40 million

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15 Ishmael Bennacer | Milan | Market value: €40 million

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15 Bremen | Juventus | Market value: €40 million

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15 Stanislav Lobotka | Naples | Market value: €40 million

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+€2m

15 Hakan Calhanoğlu | Inter | Market value: €40 million

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+€5m

15 Adrien Rabiot | Juventus | Market value: €40 million

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+€10m

15 Giorgio Scalvini | Atalanta | Market value: €40 million

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+€10m

13 Mike Maignan | Milan | Market value: €45 million

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+€10m

13 Rasmus Hojlund | Atalanta | Market value: €45 million

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+€10m

10 Sergei Milinkovic-Savic | Lazio | Market value: €50 million

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-€10m

10 Milan Skriniar | Inter | Market value: €50 million

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-€10m

10 Sandro Tonali | Milan | Market value: €50 million

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7 Theo Hernández | Milan | Market value: €60 million

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7 Alessandro Bastoni | Inter | Market value: €60 million

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+€5m

7 Min-jae Kim | Naples | Market value: €60 million

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+€10m

6 Dusan Vlahovic | Juventus | Market value: €70 million

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-€5m

5 Nicolò Barella | Inter | Market value: €75 million

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+€5m

3 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Naples | Market value: €85 million

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3 Lautaro Martinez | Inter | Market value: €85 million

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+€5m

2 Rafael Leao | Milan | Market value: €90 million

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+€10m

1 Victor Osimhen | Naples | Market value: €120 million

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+€20m

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